When I was growing up, one of the people who influenced me a lot was this woman named Kirie Pedersen. I was in an accelerated program in school called GIFTED AND TALENTED where kids from different schools were bussed to classes once a week to learn at a more accelerated rate. The teacher’s assistant was Kirie and she was this bohemian type woman who read us poetry, taught us Spanish and told us about her experiences traveling in Mexico, and encouraged me to do creative writing assignments and stretch my imagination. She was the best! She was not like the other adults I had met- she was hip and cool and talked to me like I was an adult. Even the way she spelled her name was cool and different! So I thought that if I could volunteer my time to these teenagers at CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT, and not preach to them or tell them how to live but just SHOW them who I am and how I live, I may inspire somebody to follow whatever dream they might have-to be a nurse, a painter, or whatever. I followed my heart against the odds and I thought if they saw that a girl like me could do it- they could do what they want too.